This invention relates in general to pet toys, and, more particularly, to an artificial chewing bone having enhanced appeal for dogs.
Chewing toys for dogs perform at least two important functions. First, dogs today often do not have access to natural bones and other hard objects which scour their teeth when chewed. Artificial chewing toys therefore provide an important health function by cleaning the animal's teeth. Secondly, the animal tends to expend its chewing energies on the artificial chewing toy, and is therefore less inclined to destructively chew on household objects.
It has sometimes be claimed that certain hard pet foods are sufficient to clean a dog's teeth, but such foods generally are consumed by the animal before an extensive cleaning of the teeth is accomplished. A variety of artificial chewing toys have been tried, with varying degree of success. For example, artificial chewing toys have been made from rawhide, woven fibers, and rope, but such materials are ordinarily rapidly destroyed by the chewing action, which breaks down the fibers and structure of the material.
More recently, a nylon chewing toy impregnated with appealing odors and flavors has achieved extensive commercial success. Nylon itself is tough and durable, but it not naturally attractive to the animal. By a process described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,334, it has been possible to impregnate appealing odors and flavors directly and deeply into the nylon, so that the animal is encouraged to continue chewing at the bone-shaped nylon piece. The odor and flavor-inducing components are so bound into the structure of the nylon bone that they are not released until the animal works its way through the nylon to contact each portion of the nylon bone. The nylon also is highly effective in cleaning the animal's teeth, since the nylon fibers fray at the ends as they are chewed, and the bristles formed clean the animal's teeth effectively. The nylon chewing toy is sufficiently tough and durable to retain its shape and structure for prolonged periods of attack by the animal, so that the cleaning action on the teeth is also prolonged.
The nylon chewing toy has met with considerable commercial success, but testing on animals has shown that not all dogs are immediately attracted to the nylon chewing toy. Nylon is an inert artificial substance without food value, and the animal must be attracted to chew on the nylon bone before the bone can perform its function. Typically, about 10% of dogs are attracted to chew on a nylon bone which has not been treated in any way, while about 60% of the animals are attracted to chew on nylon bones which have been chemically impregnated with desirable odors and flavors in accordance with the process set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,334. A variety of meaty materials and combinations of materials in accordance with this patent have been tried in an effort to increase the acceptability to the animals, including beef, chicken, and ham flavorings. The greatest success has been that with a ham-flavored nylon bone, to which about 61% of the animals are attracted. However, no flavorent or combination of flavorents has been found successful in increasing the acceptability substantially above this level.
There exists a need for an improved nylon chewing toy having greater acceptability to animals. With such a product, more dogs would be induced to chew at the nylon bone to clean their teeth and expend their chewing energies on the bones rather than household goods, and fewer consumers would be unhappy because their dogs reject the artificial bones. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.